Abstract:

Teacher beliefs are shaped by their prior language learning experience, teacher education, and classroom practice (Borg 2003). Teachers' deep-rooted beliefs, whether explicit or implicit, influence classroom practices more than the particular methodology learned in teacher education programs (Williams & Burden (1997). Teachers need to develop knowledge of pedagogy and practice, knowledge of students, and knowledge of self (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 1999; Santoro 2009). Understanding teacher and learner beliefs and their contexts is crucial in shaping effective classroom practices and improving language learning outcomes.

This study aims to examine the beliefs of future primary and pre-primary education teachers in Valencia regarding their own English language learning experiences in trilingual classrooms and their perceptions of the challenges they will face in teaching English as a foreign language. Following the lead of the Council of Europe, Valencia and other Spanish regions underwent an educational reform based on the principle of plurilingualism (as outlined in the CoE Recommendation (98)6, the CEFR 2018, and the Valencian Government's Law 4/2018). All state-funded schools are required to implement the new Multilingual and Intercultural Education Programme (MIEP, as outlined in Law 4/2018), but its implementation has faced various challenges. These include a shortage of trained bilingual teachers, limited time allocation for teaching in English, and a lack of teachers meeting the qualification requirements of the Valencian plurilingual programme.

Participants in this study are two cohorts of university students aged 19 to 21 enrolled in a teacher training degree at a Spanish University, 89 of whom completed a Likert-scale questionnaire on learner beliefs adapted from Sakui & Gaies (1999). The questionnaire responses have been analyzed using factor analysis and the interpretation of the quantitative data has been validated with qualitative data collected through guided interviews with four participants.

Our results provide important insights into the beliefs of future teachers in Valencia regarding their English language learning experiences and their perceptions of the challenges they will face in teaching English as a foreign language. Notably, half of the participants expressed dissatisfaction with their pre-university English education in relation to the pedagogy, and the outcomes attained) which could influence their outlook on the challenges they will encounter as teachers. These results underscore the need to consider the beliefs and experiences of language learners when designing and implementing language education programs and policies.

References:
[1] Borg, S. (2003). Teacher Cognition in Language Teaching: A Review of Research on What Language Teachers Think, Know, Believe, and Do. Language Teaching, 36(1), 81-109.
[2] Cochran-Smith, M., & Lytle, S. (1999). Relationships of knowledge and practice: Teacher learning in communities. Review of Research in Education, 24, 249-305.
[3] Sakui, K., & Gaies, S. J. (1999). Investigating Japanese learners' beliefs about language learning. System, 27(4), 473-492.
[4] Santoro, N. (2009) Teaching in culturally diverse contexts: what knowledge about ‘self’ and ‘others’ do teachers need?, Journal of Education for Teaching, 35:1, 33-45.
[5] Williams, M., & Burden, R. L. (1997). Psychology for language teachers: A social constructivist approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Keywords:

Beliefs, English as a Foreign Language, teacher training.